The Anti-Oscar Awards

March 5, 2006 — -- The Independent Spirit Awards, handed out Saturday, started as the anti-Oscars.

The awards celebrate the filmmakers' passion to get their films made. But after 21 years, they too are full of glitz, glamour, swag and freebies.

So is it getting tougher getting tough to tell them apart from the Oscars? Not really, according to the stars.

"Oh my God, this is like going over to your friend's house for lunch," said actress Robin Wright Penn.

The faces are the same, but the feeling is different. Call these the casual Oscars, with a lot less tension on the khaki carpet.

"I think I'm color blind," George Clooney said. "I match [the carpet]: I'm wearing a brown suit."

Everything the stars wear to the Oscars is scrutinized, but at the Indys, the dress code is anything goes.

For instance, rather than black tie, Jeffrey Wright wore black flip flops.

Actress Zooey Deschanel wore a short, colorful dress that she said was "maybe a little short for the Oscars."

No problem at the Indys, though.

"You can kind of slut it up, you know?" Deschanel said.

The big winners included "Brokeback Mountain," which took honors for picture and director. Felicity Huffman was named best actress for "Transamerica." Philip Seymour Hoffman won acting honors for "Capote."

Huffman and Hoffman could win Oscars, as well. In fact, all yesterday's Indy spirit award winners are Oscar nominated -- including best supporting actress Indy winner Amy Adams for "Junebug," and Matt Dillon, best supporting actor for "Crash."